The cash poor

Forget the government’s gross debt, it’s household debt that is holding back Queenslanders. With home ownership rates falling, those who actually have one are the working cash poor. Left with $50 in cash per week out of an average income of $112,000, seventy-five per cent of Queenslanders are feeling the pinch as cost of living rises despite the Newman Government’s 2012 election promise to lower it.

The government chose to ignore the report this week.

ABC News Qld: Treasurer Tim Nicholls is not so open to increasing gambling taxes and mining royalties despite suggestions from Queenslanders.

However, it couldn’t escape scrutiny over its Strong Choices campaign this week when it was revealed that the interactive online program showed Queenslanders preferred to increase in gambling taxes and mining royalties rather than sell assets.

The government wasn’t commenting on this either. Seems like asset sales are a done deal in Queensland.

Qld unemployment hits 6.3pc

Queensland’s unemployment rose again for April to an equal record high under the Newman Government of 6.3pc. The jobless rate last hit this figure in December of 2012. The LNP pledged to lower unemployment to 4pc within four years of being in power. Unemployment was left at 5.5pc by the Bligh Government. More graphs and stats on Qld unemployment here.

Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek sprung in secret deal

Following Langbroek’s closure of Fortitude Valley Sate School (FVSS) last year, 26 students had been forced to transfer to BCSS adding more pressure to the over capacity school.

The Newman Government had pledged to purchase land from Qld Health to append to BCSS. However, the ‘Terrace’, as the elite school is colloquially known, was in negotiations to grab the land.

Langbroek denied everything as, “complete fantasy and it’s disappointing that these rumours are being circulated and propagated to the detriment of students.”

However, LNP MP for the seat of Brisbane Central and former Terrace student, Robert Cavallucci, told The Courier Mail that the BCSS P&C chair had been informed of all options being discussed. The chair denied this.

Late Friday, with Langbroek on leave, it was left to acting Education Minister, Ian Walker, to reassure the community that the land would be going to BCSS.

ABC Lateline: New Hope coal donated $700k to the LNP, gave rugby tickets to two ministers and plans expansion of Acland coal mine.

Dirty deals done dirt cheap

When coal mining companies buy up a town and buy the government what hope is there for the people of Acland to fight back? That’s the question being asked by local graziers Tanya Plant and Nicki Laws on Queensland’s Darling Downs.

In an ABC Lateline interview, it was revealed that the federal Liberal Party had received $700,000 in political donations from New Hope, the owners of the Acland mine and now the town. Likewise, they’d also donated the same amount to the LNP in Queensland.

The town of Acland is largely deserted except for a lone man who refuses to leave. Graziers live outside the town, around the coal mine and appear powerless to stop its expansion.

Of concern is the coal mine’s use of water at a time when Queensland is suffering severe drought.

In 2013, 133 kilometres to the east in Brisbane, New Hope treated two Newman Government ministers to their corporate box to watch a Wallabies rugby game. Qld Energy Minister Mark McArdle and Environment Minister Andrew Powell accepted the invitation.

McArdle responded to the Lateline report Mark Willacy stating that it was not up to him to decide on the expansion of the Acland mine and referred questions to the Queensland Co-ordinator General.

First to his feet in Queensland Parliament this week was LNP MP for Burleigh, Michael Hart, who disclosed and tabled a recording he’d made of the telephone conversation with PUP’s Jim McAnally who was attempting to recruit him. The Recording was tabled in parliament.

ABC News Qld: “The best party that Chinese money can buy.” Newman Govt members laugh as Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney accuses Clive Palmer of being a crook.

Throughout the conversation, McNally told Hart the discussion was “100 per cent confidential”.

Hart explained that he was dedicated to the LNP. He alleged McNally was offering him a bribe when he asked: “What can we offer you?”

However, police had dismissed the matter in the previous week as no cash sums were ever discussed.

Given the secret recording, Hart is probably not the most trustworthy of political players and someone PUP would do well to steer clear of in its recruitment drive.

The one person Clive Palmer loathes ahead of Campbell Newman is Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney. The two have been sparring in the media since the end of 2012.

However, this week, Seeney took it a step further by using parliamentary privilege to accuse Palmer of being a “crook”. He brandished a copy of The Australian in which Chinese investors claimed Palmer used their money in election campaigning.

“The best party that Chinese money can buy!” Seeney announced amid laughs from his party.

The Courier Mail: Clive Palmer’s accused of being a crook by DP Jeff Seeney and challenged to say it outside parliamentary privilege.

The Australian: Clive Palmer’s Chinese business partners claim he used their investment for campaigning.

Based on current polling, with Campbell Newman likely to lose his seat of Ashgrove, Seeney is the most likely person to become the next Premier.

Palmer denied that it was true and challenged Seeney to make the allegation outside parliament where he would be able to take legal action.

“If he thinks that, why hasn’t he done something about it?”

The Palmer vs Newman Government spat is likely to escalate as the campaigning ahead of the Qld election escalates.

The government has removed bipartisanship for selection of the CCC chief and can now appoint a person without consulting with the opposition. Opponents to the plan have argued that without bipartisan support independence of the corruption watchdog is threatened.

However, in a last-minute meeting, Bleijie made an amendment which satisfied Davis that the Parliamentary Crime and Misconduct Committee (PCMC) could veto the governments choice. Committees are normally stacked by MPs in favour of the government.

Much of the government’s argument centred around the success of New South Wales’ Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and the government there being able to choose the commissioner. What’s good for NSW is good enough for Qld, it seems.

The Newman Government also argued that the focus should now be on criminal gangs. Investigating bikie gangs for extortion and drug related crimes.

ABC News Qld: ‘Operational matters’: Campbell Newman’s concept of PCMC public hearings is not so practical.

Campbell Newman had previously voiced his desire for the PCMC to have public hearings. This turned into a farce this week with acting commissioner Dr Ken Levy unable to answer questions in front of the cameras due to “operational matters”.

Levy had written a positive opinion piece for The Courier Mail in which he supported the Newman Government’s Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment (VLAD) laws. However, when questioned about it by the PCMC he declared that he hadn’t contacted the Newman Government’s media advisers. This contradicted a statement by Campbell Newman’s media adviser, Lee Anderson who revealed he had met with Levy prior to the piece being published.

In Queensland, lying in parliament or to a committee is a criminal offence. At question is whether Levy lied to the PCMC.

Levy has previously refused to stand down over the Levy investigation which was being handled by a select ethics committee. He is scheduled to stay on in his role until October 2014.

Campbell Newman’s D-G Jon Grayson off the hook

In April, 2014, Campbell Newman’s Director-General Jon Grayson was named at a NSW ICAC hearing as having links to disgraced Labor MP Eddie Obeid and family.

This week the Premier informed the house that he had written to CMC boss Dr Ken Levy about the allegations. Levy in turn wrote to ICAC and informed them that the CMC was not investigating Grayson and that no action was required.

Campbell Newman also announced that Grayson would offload all his business interests that were linked to the ICAC inquiry.

Queensland has always had a milk deficit, having to import milk from southern states to meet demand. Recent price wars have seen the number of dairies drop from approximately one-thousand to five hundred.

Perhaps this last round is a sign that the dairy industry is defeated in Queensland and along with it, the remnants of the National Party, which traditionally represented farming communities.

Comments

David? Do we know who D-G Grayson is offloading his business interests to as yet? A. The bloke should be in front of the CMC (if we still had one), but B. Would be interesting to see if business interests passed to family or trusted mates in LNP?